525,600 Minutes
by JR Alexander
Summary: One year in the custody of the DEO. One year under the watchful eye of one Alexandra Danvers. One year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 8,760 hours. 525,600 minutes.
1. Minute 1: Captured

A/N: Hey guys, just wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone that read _Sunrise._

This is an Alex/Astra, Lesxtra, General Danvers, whatever ship name you want to call it, story. It is slightly AU…the biggest reason is that Astra is still alive. Obviously.

Some quick background. Astra and her cronies faced off with the DEO and lost. Some were killed, and some were captured. This is Astra's first stint with the DEO so the whole General Lane torture scene did not happen.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own any part of Supergirl and or any recognizable characters should they make an appearance later on.

Anyway, Enjoy.

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The metal of the cuffs is cool against her skin. It's a strange feeling, the coolness. She's not used to feeling much of anything these days. She can feel the kryptonite weaken her just enough to be effective and she feels herself growing nauseous. It's not the kryptonite itself, it's the feeling of being as fragile as a human being that has her nauseous. She may have spent most of her adult life on Krypton with no powers but for the last 10 years she's relied a great deal on the powers given to her by earth's yellow sun. She feels weak. She'll never admit it.

She feels the tightness of the grip on her arm and she looks over to her captor. Agent Danvers. Good. The Brave One made it out alive. The agent may be the enemy, at least to her cause, but Astra knows in her heart and in her head that this particular agent will never 100 percent be her enemy. Another thing she will never admit. She knows that this particular human is someone her Little One is very close to and for that reason alone she will never kill her. Harm her, maybe, if it meant escaping, but never kill her. The grip tightens more than necessary and she bites back a wince. She will not show weakness. The next feeling that she registers is when she's moving toward one of the armored vehicles. She feels sluggish and her feet are almost dragging on the ground. She realizes again that she has relied too heavily on her abilities as she usually glides just a fraction above the ground so her footfalls never make a sound. Now her steps, she imagines, would sound like thunder in her ears if she still had that ability. She sighs inwardly. She feels human.

She's put into to the vehicle and she half expects to be shoved in, or to be banged against the doorframe. Neither happens. She finds herself sandwiched between Agent Danvers and some nameless agent she has never seen. The grip never leaves her arm. The ride into the desert is long and quiet. She tries to focus on a sound, any sound, and she decides that her own breathing is going to have to do since she can't tune into the sound of a particular person's heartbeat. Finally, they come to a stop and again the grip does not leave even when exiting into the harsh cold of the desert after sunset. Yet another feeling she is unaccustomed to. She really does not like feeling so vulnerable. Suddenly her other arm is enveloped in a bruising grip. She turns to see her niece next to her and her heart breaks slightly. She never got to see her grow up.

They walk into the facility flanked by two more armed guards. She stumbles as the door to room she is to call home for the foreseeable future opens. The effect of the kryptonite is overwhelming. Her niece stumbles back out of the room and Astra swears she could hear her fall against the wall just outside. Some chubby male human in a uniform that is hardly camouflage is standing in the room as well. She feels sick. It's a feeling she hasn't felt since Alura banished her to Fort Rozz. She thinks she just might vomit. Then the nausea lessens, it doesn't fade completely, but it is not as bad anymore. The green light surrounding her glass cage fades slightly.

"General Lane. What are you doing here?" Ah so the chubby man is a General. Pathetic. He could not possibly be in any shape to lead his troops. Whatever happened to "do not send your subordinates to do something you yourself would not do" she wonders. There is no way this man has seen a battlefield in at least a decade. She could easily take him if she had the chance.

"Just making sure that the prisoner is secure, Agent Danvers." The grip on her arm tightens and Astra winces slightly.

"Well you may leave now, General. The prisoner is secure. You forget that I have been doing this longer than you, sir." Astra smirks at the tone. Her Brave One was always defiant. Even in the face of mortal danger. She does like this agent. After all, she defeated a Hellgrammite. Astra won't underestimate her again.

The pompous man stiffens. "You better watch your tone, Agent."

"I do not report to you, General. Neither does the Director. I will treat you with the respect awarded to the stars on your chest, Sir, but do not mistake my respect for your rank, for my respect for you as a person. You are here as a courtesy and you are dangerously close to overstaying your welcome. Now if you will excuse me, Sir, I have a prisoner to lock up and you are in the way." Astra calls upon all of her training to remain stoic when she really wants to smile. Agent Danvers is a force to be reckoned with. If she did not already respect her for defeating the Hellgrammite she certainly does now. She is a good soldier and a good person as well. That is a very important distinction. She relaxes slightly when the human general takes his leave. She lets herself be led into her glass cage and she offers her hands. She flexes her hands and wrists she she is finally free of the cuffs. She remains still as Agent Danvers closes the glass door but remains in the room. There is no window of opportunity for an attempt of escape. She may not like the feeling of being imprisoned but she is not stupid. She did not rise up the ranks of the Kryptonian military by being reckless. She knows when to pick her battles. The irony of the sentiment is not lost on her.

"I am sorry." Her brows crease together in confusion. It is a micro expression but the agent catches it.

"Why do you apologize, Agent Danvers? Is it a human thing to apologize to one's prisoners?"

"Not exactly. General Lane had no right to mess with the kryptonite emitters and set them so high. You came willingly, well as willingly as you could. You made no attempts to escape or cause harm to me or my fellow agents on the way here. There is no reason for torturing you, General. You may be an eco-terrorist, and an alien to boot, but that does not mean that you should be treated like anything less than a…living being."

Alex remains still as she speaks to her prisoner. She knows that apologizing could be seen as a sign of weakness but it could also be seen as a sign of respect or even strength in the right circumstances. She hopes this is one of them.

"Thank you." Both women look surprised as the words are spoken. Astra sighs inwardly. She was already expressed her gratitude, might as well finish the thought. "For lowering the kryptonite to a tolerable level." The agent nods in response. Astra leans her forehead against the glass as soon as the other woman as left. A beat passes, then another. She finally retreats back to the stone bench in her cell. She sits crossed-legged with her face slightly upturned toward the stars, as if she could see them.

She knows the risk Agent Danvers took by apologizing. She knows it could all be a trick. If she had her super hearing she could pick up on her heartbeat or the slight hitch in her voice if this were a trick. Lure the prisoner into a false sense of security or hope and them crush them. She's seen this tactic before, she's fallen for it. She hopes that this Agent is not playing mind games with her. She hopes. What a dangerous word, hope.

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A/N: Well that's the first chapter. Let me know what you think.


	2. Minute: 4320: Night time encounter

**Minute 4320**

Three days. That's how long it took for the nightmares to begin. Astra knows that they never really go away but now they are more intense. At least now she doesn't have to worry about blowing a hole in the ceiling. Small mercies she imagines. She had to change quarters often while repairs were made. There were plenty of rooms in the ruins of her prison. Kryptonian or not, having the ceiling fall on your head is not fun.

She sits up putting her elbows on her knees and resting her head in her hands. She takes a deep breath. She rubs at her throat; it's sore from the screaming. She wipes at her cheek; it's wet from the tears.

This was one of the bad ones. The one where she is helpless to stop anything. She lost Kara this time. She knows the outcome of the battle was different and Non is the one who died. She knows, Rao, does she know. But seeing her niece lying on the ground with her head sharply twisted in an unnatural direction is enough to cause her heart to constrict.

She snaps her head up as the hydraulics of the door hiss and Agent Danvers walks in, gun pointed and sweeping in every direction. She stands, Brave One or not, she will be damned if she will ever look up at a human.

"Why are you here?" Her voice is cold and sharp.

The human tilts her head slightly and looks into her eyes. Astra stares back, defiant and cold. She will not let anything show. Those brown eyes take in everything. Still she does not waver. She does not tick, quiver, shudder, she does not even breathe. Moments later, the gun is holstered.

"I heard a scream. I was making sure you hadn't escaped." Ah the first lie of the night and she didn't even need her powers to see it.

"And is there something wrong with the gadgets fixed to the walls? I imagine those are used for recording or surveillance purposes." The human swallows.

"You can never be too sure."

"Well, here I stand Agent Danvers." Her arms are spread to the side; her chest puffed out.

The Agent narrows her eyes and leaves. Perhaps she has gone to get her preferred tools of torture. It's about that time anyway. 3 days in captivity is long enough before starting torture. Too long really. The officers of Fort Rozz started mere hours after her incarceration.

Rao knows that the humans can be creative when it comes to torture. She's seen as such in the books that detail the period called the Middle Ages. Strange how a planet so young could have a middle age. Perhaps even then they knew that they were killing their own planet.

She is brought out of her thoughts when the door opens again. This time Alex is holding a cup of something in her hand, hot if the steam rising from it is any indication. It was not what she was expecting at all. A blade of some sort, or even perhaps a mallet but not a cup.

She eyes the cardboard cup warily. Accepting unknown food and drink has landed her on the wrong side of poison in the past. It is not an experience she wishes to repeat. She doubts that any Earthly poison could effect her Kryptonian body but she has doubts about the effect of the Kryptonite. It has taken away her enhanced hearing, sight, strength, and ability to fly. She wonders if it was taken away her enhanced immune system as well. Better not put that to the test. Not yet.

She returns her gaze from the cup back to the eyes that studied her intensely moments earlier.

"Kara has them too." The image of Kara lying on the ground pops up again and it takes everything she has not to close her eyes to try and wipe the image from her mind.

"I do not understand, Agent Danvers. What does my niece have that I have as well? Besides superiority over humankind." Never admit weakness she repeats over and over in her head.

"Nightmares." There goes that feeling in her chest again. That sharp squeeze at the mention of her niece in any sort of pain.

Nightmares. They reach deep inside one's mind and claw and squeeze at their sanity. It shakes the very foundation of a person until their mind can no longer stand it. They are never simple. 24 years in Earth's concept of Hell has shown her just how damaging nightmares can be. She knows it is impossible for Kara NOT to have them but she wishes she didn't. She never wants to see pain in her Little One's eyes ever again. Losing one's planet is enough fuel for nightmares to burn intensely and long lasting.

"Kara drinks hot chocolate after she has them. I figure it could help you."

Astra stares back at her.

"Why do you wish to help me, Brave One? I have done nothing to earn it. You owe me nothing."

"You're Kara's Aunt." She shrugs. "Besides, I thought Krypton taught that accepting help was not a shame but an honor?"

She tenses. Every muscle in her body coiled tight; only a hair's breadth away from snapping.

"Do not speak of what you do not understand…human." She stands taller and with every ounce of military bearing instilled in her bones. Agent Danvers does the same. Such a fine warrior this human makes. A pity to see such a passionate soul trapped in a weak, fragile body.

"I may not completely understand, but I do know plenty. Do not talk down to me as if I were some inconsequential speck of cosmic dust. Take a look, General. Which side of the glass are you standing on?"

"You speak of Kryptonian customs yet you are not a Kryptonian yourself. Tell me, Agent, just how close are you and my Little One?"

Ah, there's that fire. That determination that sets Alex above most humans. Alex takes a step forward, the cup in her hands protesting under her grip. They would be chest to chest if it were not for the glass wall that separates them. Both jaws are clenched, nostrils flared. A burning fire turning one set of eyes a deep emerald and the other a dark obsidian. A square off for the ages. She likes this human just a fraction more. It really does take bravery to square off against a Kryptonian, imprisoned or not.

"As you said, General. Do not speak of what you do not understand. My relationship with Kara is none of your concern." The venom, the fire, the calm rage that flows out along with the word startles Astra, although she does not let it show. Clearly her niece is of some import to this human just as this human is of import to her niece. She wonders, Rao, does she wonder.

And like that, the woman is gone. Astra stares back at the empty space left behind by Agent Danvers. She sits back down and holds her head in her hands again.

She thinks back to ever interaction she has seen between her Little One and the Brave One. The fierce protection they have for one another; the way they always seem to stand next to each other while they are in the same room. The look in their eyes when they catch each other's gazes. That's love. There is no other definition for that look. She knows it well, once upon a time she looked at Non that way. She smiles at the memory of the man from lifetimes ago and galaxies far way. The man that she married was not the same man that perished 3 nights ago. She cannot mourn that man but she can and will mourn the man she married. Her thoughts stray back to her niece. Her not so little, Little One.

She tenses at the thought of her Little One in love. She never thought she'd see the day. So she sits, and she waits for the next time one of the agents come in. Hopefully it is one of the lesser agents that she can easily scare into bring her niece before her. It is time for Kara to know about the rituals between lovers on Krypton. Even if her lover is Alex Danvers.

* * *

So that's that. The next chapter is going to be awkward. I mean how do you tell your Aunt that the person she thinks is your lover is in fact your sister and your actual lover or potential lover is your very human boss. And the talk? Really Aunt Astra, you're going to give her the talk?


	3. Minute 7,927: The Talk

A/N: I'm not really happy with this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway.

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Minute 7927

It takes 2 and a half days before Astra gets what she wants. His name, according to the badge on his shirt, is Agent Sterling. Ironic really, he certainly does not look like a sterling soldier. He looks frightened, it is so obvious. Poor unfortunate soul.

"Agent Sterling." Her voice is smooth, like a lioness moving fluidly through the brush. He jumps slightly at her voice. The tray in his hands shakes.

"Do come closer." He stumbles forward, like a newborn zebra colt on unsteady legs. She's pulling him closer and closer. Her voice is mesmerizing. She lets just a fraction of her Kryptonian accent slip through. She has him right where she wants him.

"Get me niece for me, will you?" She moves forward with the speed just south of superhuman and slaps her hand against the glass wall. He whimpers and trips over his own feet in an attempt to escape her cell. He leaves her food forgotten across the floor. She laughs as he leaves. Seriously, that's who they send to check on her?

Moments later Kara is standing in front of her with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. She looks at the floor and sees the food strewn about.

"What did you do to Sterling?" Her tone is accusatory. Astra can tell that her niece does not fully trust her just yet. It hurts but she supposes that it is justified. A decade of being raised by humans can really put a wrinkle in the whole bonded by blood thing.

"I merely asked him to get you. I wanted to speak with you and it was the only way I figured you would come. I am also offended that he is the one your people send in to check on me. He hardly looks old enough to have felt the warmth of a woman. He is not ready to be put on a prisoner detail, even if it is just bringing me food. You may want to tell that director of yours to train his soldiers better."

"This is what you wanted? To talk to me about training younger agents? I do have a life you know and it is rather busy, Aunt Astra." Her niece huffs. She still has not managed to curb that habit.

"No. I wished to speak with you about Agent Danvers."

"Me? What about me?" Both Kryptonians turn to look at Alex who is holstering her gun.

"What are you doing here, Alex?" Yes, Alex why are you here Astra wonders.

"Sterling near pissed his pants earlier. I wanted to make sure everything was cool here." Kara accepts the answer. Astra, however, does not. She files away this lie and puts it with the one from a few nights ago. Interesting.

"So, Aunt Astra. What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to let you know that it's okay. You and Agent Danvers. I've seen the looks, the touches. The smiles."

"I-we—" Alex told her not to divulge anything to Astra just yet.

"It is alright Little One. I suppose if your love has to be human, the Brave One is a good match for you. She certainly is better than the other humans I have interacted with. She is good for you."

"What—me? And Alex? My love?" Kara moves her hands in front of her body as if she could pull the words she wants to say out of thin air. Alex is stunned quiet.

Astra turns her head to stare down Alex.

"Agent Danvers, if you so much as make My Little One cry, there is not enough Kryptonite on Earth that can stop me from bringing down my wrath upon your head."

"Astra, we are not—" The General cuts her off with a wave of her hand. She is not currently interested in calming platitudes of "no I will never hurt her. I would die before—" seriously, humans are so tiring. She turns back to Kara.

"I notice that you two do not share the wedding bracelets of our people. You have not been wed yet. Have you started the rituals with her?"

"Rituals? What—Aunt Astra?" Kara looks helplessly toward Alex who is standing dumbfounded. She is not used to being interrupted.

"Kryptonians have many rituals when it comes to love. A carved love-spoon so that she may never know hunger. A pair of gloves, so that she may always feel warmth. A mark above her heart so that she may always know of your love and affection. Have you submitted her to the intellectual game of _Shesur_ to see if she stands on par with you mentally? I am sure she would do well. And of course, Kara, there is the matter of the sex—"

Kara turns the color of her cape and her mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water.

Astra watches was brown eyes widen in horror.

"She's MY BABY SISTER!"

The room falls quiet. The only sounds are the harsh breaths following Alex's outburst. Kara looks at her sister with wide eyes. So much for not telling Astra.

"Sister? You do not have a sister, Kara. Alura never gave birth to another. This woman is of no relation to you."

"Look, lady. You don't get to decide—"

"Alex." She shakes her head and then turns back to her aunt.

"She is my foster sister. Her family took me in when I landed here."

"But the looks. The touches. That is not how sisters—that is not how Alura and I looked at each other."

She is confused. Sisters do not act like that. They do not have secret looks and smiles. She and Alura certainly never did. They looked at each other only with respect, well, she typically looked at her sister with resentment. Astra was the outcast. The youngest twin, the one that was not supposed to have been born. She was the mistake, and her mother and father made sure she never forgot that. She has never looked at her sister with the amount of love and affection that Kara looks at Alex with.

"Aunt Astra." Kara reaches out to touch the glass. She wants nothing more than to hug her Aunt. Mentions of Alura still haunt the both of them. Astra sees her every time she looks in the mirror, and Kara sees her every time she looks at her Aunt. Having an identical twin is a curse.

"So you and the Brave One—"

Alex is already shaking her head.

"Are just sisters. I do love her, just not in the way that you think. She protects me and I protect her. She would do anything to make me happy—even if that meant making hot chocolate for a prisoner." Astra whips her eyes up to look into those of her niece.

"You know of our encounter?"

"How could I not? She came out of here with a crushed cup in her hand and her jaw set in such a way I thought for sure she would turn her molars to dust. I didn't catch up with her until she was in the gym on the other side of the complex hitting the punching bag with such a force that it fell off of its hook. We talked after that." Astra can see the worry in Kara's eyes.

"I told you, General. Don't speak of what you do not understand." The smile in her voice is not lost on Astra.

"I was sure that you two were lovers. I was ready to give my blessing."

"Yeah, complete with the threatening 'you hurt her, I hurt you' speech, and the sex talk to boot." Kara snorts at Alex's tone and playfully shoves her.

"Stop teasing, Alex. It's an honest mistake. You remember when you guys first brought me in and Vasquez thought that we were dating because we hugged for a super long time and told us to get a room?"

"Yeah." She sighs. "Such a funny night."

Astra watches on in silence as the two sisters interact. She wonders if she and Alura could have ever had a relationship like that.

"Aunt Astra?" She looks over at her niece. She looks smaller now with her gaze fixed on the floor and her hands playing with her cape. She looks very much like the little girl on Krypton.

"Yes?"

"The, um. The courtship rituals. Do they work? I mean, did they work for you and Uncle Non?" Astra thanks Rao for being in Kara's life for the first 13 years of it. It is the only reason she can understand the quiet mumbles.

"Yes, Kara, they did work. But you have to know that the man I married was not the same man that you fought against. I need you to know that."

Kara nods. "I'm sorry. For Non, I mean." Alex is squeezing Kara's shoulder.

Astra shakes her head. "We will talk about that another time. I assume you are asking of our courtship rituals because there is a man in your life. Or perhaps a woman?" Alex is now watching her sister like a hawk. She hasn't mention anything to her about dating anyone. Last she heard, James was still hurt over Lucy and really only saw Kara as a friend.

"Cat." Astra barely catches the exhaled answer. What do felines have to do with this? She opens her mouth to ask but Kara continues to speak.

"Her name is Cat. Catherine, really, but everyone knows her by Cat."

"CAT GRANT?!" Astra raises her brows at the sudden outburst. Surely this Cat person cannot be all that bad if her niece is smitten with her.

"Really Kara? She's your boss. She's the Queen of All Media. She'll out you the second she knows that you're Supergirl."

Astra cuts in.

"I thought that your boss was the Martian that thinks he is fooling everyone with his grumpy human form. I am sure that he is not a woman."

"Oh, Hank? Well he's sort of my boss here at the DEO but that not who I mean. My human job. I'm Cat's assistant." She's fiddling with her cape again.

"Love knows no bounds, Kara. Your cousin is a testament of that, he fell in love with a human did he not?"

She watches as Kara nods and bites her lip.

"Cat already knows. About me I mean." Astra watches was the tendon in Alex's neck flexes.

"You're killing me, Kara."

"Well she's known for a while now and she hasn't done anything. I just, Alex" she looks to her sister then to her aunt. "Aunt Astra, I think she might be you know…the one for me." Her little girl looks so small.

"I believe the saying is you are teakettle over heels in love with her." Alex can't hold in her laughter. Astra thinks she could listen to it all day. Yet another thing she will never admit. Her niece is laughing as well. She's at least succeeded in cheering up her Little One, even if it is at her own expense.

"I-it's head over heels and ass over teakettle." Alex is slightly out of breath from laughter. Her eyes are alight with amusement and her face slightly flushed. She is a completely different person than she was two night ago. She reminds herself that much like General Astra In-Ze and Aunt Astra are two different people; Agent Danvers and Alex are different as well. She turns back to her niece and tears her gaze away from Agent Danvers. Yes, Agent Danvers. Agent Danvers. Agent Danvers. She repeats it over and over. The woman is Agent Danvers, not Alex, never Alex. Not to her. Not yet.

No. Not at all.

She goes to war with her mind. Kara's voice finally cuts through.

"I just don't know what to do, you guys." Astra feels a stab of jealousy as Kara leans into Alex's arms. She has not felt this emotion since Alura was chosen over her to have a child.

"You really love her, don't you, kiddo?" Ale—gent Danvers is full of surprises. She is soft with Kara, yet ruthless in battle. She is playful yet tactile. She is loving yet slow to trust others. She is a contradiction. They are much more alike than Astra wants to admit.

The moment is broken by the ringing of Kara's phone. By the looks of the small smile she wears, Cat Grant is in need of her assistance. She leaves the two brunettes in the room.

"When I get out of here, Agent, I am going to have words with this Feline Queen."

"Yeah, get in line, General. I have dibs." Dibs? What are dibs?

"It that contagious?" She is treated to another round of laughter. Maybe spending time in this prison will not be so bad. At least the company is tolerable.

* * *

I'm not sure what's next. Let me know what you guys want to see happen.


	4. Minute 28,087: The Hero

A/N: Here you go.

I may have googled some aliens to put in here.  
Be warned Astra goes berserk.

* * *

 **Minute 28,087**

Her days in confinement go by like clockwork. Breakfast in the morning, then if it is her shower day she is escorted to the showers by two armed guards and restrained by the K-Cuffs. After her shower, which is only 10 minutes long, it is back to her cell to be left alone with her thoughts. Then lunch. Yet another offering of flavored cardboard. Then more time with her thoughts and then dinner. Dinner. How they manage to keep their prisoners alive on this vile food is beyond her. She has had other earth dishes but she imagines prison food is most foul no matter what part of the galaxies she may be in.

If she is lucky, she will have a visitor. Sometimes it is Kara, who comes bearings gifts of the latest happenings of her workplace. The Feline Queen seems to have softened marginally. Perhaps the words she will have with her upon her release need not be so…harsh.

Other times she is visited by some nameless agent doing routine checks on the cell or the Kryptonite emitters. Those days are the worst. The test involves the emitters to be risen and lowered at rapid speeds. She is nauseous by the end. Then there are days where she is visited by the Martian in the hopes of getting information out of her in regards to some of the few soldiers that escaped the battle. She does not budge to him. She will not do his job for him. If she happens to let a comment slip in Kara's presence or on the rare occasion of Agent Danvers' visits, then a slip of the tongue is just that, a slip. Right?

And so goes her schedule. Day in and day out. Her nights are the worst. It seems that the nightmares have taken a firm hold on her mind. But now she is able to wake herself before the nightmares reach their climax. She congratulates herself on not waking half of the base with her screams. Even so there are nights where she will wake up to a cup resting on the floor just inside the door to her glass cage. Those nights are the bearable ones.

Tonight is not one of those nights. She's brought out of her sleep by the sound of the alarms. They are loud and piercing and they hurt. They hurt so much. More than they should. That is when she realizes the room is no longer cast in a sickly shade of green and she can hear everything. She can hear the footsteps of all the people outside the door. She can hear the steady beat of her niece's heart. She has her powers back. She taps on the door and it shatters under her fingers. She smiles wickedly. This is her chance.

She pulls apart the metal door and it feels so good. She feels the pull of the muscles in her back and in her chest. It feels exceptional to see triple reinforced steel crumble under her hands like paper.

She takes a deep breath. It feels good to smell the fear again. She almost laughs at the amount of human fear that permeates the air. She does not, however, expect the smell of coffee, gunpowder, and surprisingly, vanilla, to permeate her senses so thoroughly. Her other senses kick in. That's when she registers the sounds of rapid gunfire and she has but a fraction of a second to lean back to dodge a green bullet whizzing past her head.

She sees another prisoner further down the hall fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He doesn't move. She feels a rather human chill run up her spine; the humans are authorized to use lethal force. It may be a prison break but what do the humans have to gain by killing the very subjects they are trying to learn from? She did not take the humans, at least the ones in this organization, to be as barbaric. If they were, they would have slaughtered her the moment the battle ended 19 days ago.

"Use the tranqs, damn it! We need them alive!" Ah so it _was_ a mistake. She relaxes slightly and she tells herself it is because of the tranquilizers and not because Agent Danvers is a sight to behold when she is in control. She certainly does not think about the fire in brown eyes and the subtle ripples of skin and muscle that travel from finger to shoulder with every shot she gets off. She definitely does not think of how easy her ears have tuned into her voice or her heart beat for that matter.

"Supergirl!" she whips her head to the side to see her niece being held to the ground by a rather heavy boot on her neck. Oh that will not stand.

She weaves in and out of humans and aliens alike. Even at speeds nearing supersonic she is still susceptible to stray kryptonite bullets and tranquilizer darts. It is a near miracle that she is not hit.

The Khund standing over her niece is no match for her rage. If you go against a woman who has lost almost everything and try to take the one thing remaining, you will lose…every time. She reaches him in seconds. She punches him through the next wall into some sort of records storing room. She lifts him by his neck and slams him to the ground. The look in her eyes is dangerous. It is rage and fury. It is cold and ruthless. It is murder.

This pathetic excuse of a life form saw fit to hurt her family. He will pay.

She holds him down against the cold dirt in the crater caused by their impact and squeezes her fingers tighter around his neck.

"You touch her again and I will snap your neck as if it were glass. Understood?" He nods fearfully. Her twisted smile is the last thing he sees before her fist connects with his face and he is laying unconscious.

She stands slowly and looks around the room. The humans are no match for this many aliens no matter how valiant some of them may be. She hangs her head and sighs. This is not what she had in mind when she finally broke out of her prison. She wanted to escape, to see the stars again.

She punches the alien closest to her and kicks another. She makes her way back to Kara's side.

"Aunt Astra. What— "

"Now's not the time Little One." She ducks from a punch and delivers a powerful one to the opposing alien's diaphragm. A Gordanian.

She spins around and kicks yet another Gordanian in the chest just as Kara does the same. It goes flying. They work around each other dropping hostile after hostile. Her eye catches a glimpse of an alien, Andromedan, she thinks standing directly behind her favorite Agent.

"Alex! Duck!" she curses herself at the slip-up. She flies right over her head in time to stop the Andromedan from throwing what could have been a lethal punch. At least to a human. He does not survive.

"Gener— "

"Not now." She takes the gun from a stunned Alex and double taps an oncoming alien. It too goes down, only this one will survive to tell the tale. Then her world tilts on its axis. Her vision blurs and her hearing dims everything to a dull echo.

"Astra? Astra!" her body feels like lead.

"She had a gun!" Her head feels like it has been turned into that vile green gelatinous substance the humans perceive to be edible.

"She saved my life you idiot!" She stumbles forward. Her head leaves a dent in the concrete floor.

Her world goes black.

 **Minute 28,807**

It is another 12 hours before she wakes up. It's the warmth that brings her out of unconsciousness. The sun, oh the sun. She hasn't felt its warmth in just over 20 days. She smiles lightly before she remembers her place. Her face is a mask if cool indifference once again. The smell of coffee, gunpowder and vanilla invades her nose.

"You survived." Her voice is scratchy from disuse. Her eyes remain closed. She smirks internally at the almost silent gasp and spike in heart rate. She's caught her off guard. She opens her eyes and sits up.

"You are full of surprises Agent. How you continue to survive in that fragile human body still escapes me." She looks around the room and stiffens.

"Astra." It is a warning.

She stands. Shoulders back, spine straight, muscles taught.

"Look, Kara insisted on you getting time under the lamps. Hank insisted on the armed guard."

"Humans have a very strange way of showing gratitude." She works the muscles in her jaw. The guard approaches her with the standard K-Cuffs. He doesn't make it more than two steps before she is in front of him with her hand around his shirt.

"Do not approach me as if you have that right, human. You have done nothing to earn it." She's all teeth.

"Astra. Don't make me shoot you. This isn't his fault. He's following orders. You above all people should know how that goes, _General._ " She turns her head and looks down the barrel of a black metal .45. She drops the man and turns fully to face her.

"Leave us, human." She notices out of her periphery that he does not move. She raises her brow. "Agent Danvers, you and I must have words. Order this man to leave. I have no quarrel with him, lest he try to restrain me again." The woman hesitates for a moment, no doubt analyzing every scenario. Her shoulders sag a fraction of an inch. Astra only catches the shift because of her superpowers.

"Jackson. Go grab a coffee."

"Agent Danvers— "

"Coffee, Agent. Go." He leaves. Her gun does not lower.

Astra squints. "Those bullets are not Kryptonite."

"Not fully, no. But there is just enough for it to be very painful for you. Stand down, General."

She raises her eyebrow. Hmm. A direct order. She finds herself in conflict. She wants to abide and stand down. She knows that she can not win this particular battle. Sure she can move faster than the bullet lodged in the chamber and snap this human in half, but she wont. Standing down would be in her best interest but she also wants to hear that voice again. For purposes she continues to tell herself are completely scientific. _Know thy enemy._

"And if I don't Agent Danvers?" She smirks and daringly takes a step forward. Her smirk grows wider when she catches a whiff of a smell that is universal; arousal. She hears the heart rate spike again and sees pupils blow wide. This attraction is definitely not one-sided. This is going to be fun.

"Stand. Down." a finger twitches and the click of the drop of the hammer sounds like a clap of thunder. She moves faster than the blink of an eye and stands directly behind Alex.

"Or what?" her voice is low, her breath hot against human ears. Her finger traces a line from ear to collarbone. The smell in the room grows stronger. She can practically taste it. It is intoxicating, like the finest of what this planet would consider whiskey.

"Why did you save me?" Alex whispers. She doesn't move.

She hesitates slightly. Attraction and affection are different creatures. "You are Kara's sister. She would be destroyed if something happened to you. I will not let her be in pain if I can prevent it." It is true. Half true she corrects herself. She saved this human for reasons she will not admit to herself just yet. Her body betrays her, again.

The younger woman makes a non-committal sound. It sounds very much like a "I don't believe you, but for the sake of the situation, I will."

"Thank you."

Their pseudo-touching moment is broken when Astra hears the rapid footsteps coming down the hall. She is back in front of the .45 with her hands extended in front of her body palms up. Alex takes the opportunity to holster the gun and put the K-Cuffs on the exposed wrists.

The door opens and Kara comes in before stopping short.

"J-Jackson said you dismissed him. He said you were in danger?" She's blushing.

"Kara. Please. I know how to handle a Kryptonian. You don't give me enough credit."

"Yes, Kara. Give the Agent some credit. She has the threat _handled_ and _contained_." She lifts her hands and makes a show of struggling against the cuffs. Alex does not miss the innuendo. Hopefully Kara does.

"You are not a threat, Aunt Astra. Not to us." Kara makes a move to remove the cuffs. She's stopped by Alex's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't Kara. We may trust her, but the rest of the base does not. She cannot be allowed to just walk free. It's protocol."

The word 'we' does not escape Astra's notice.

"You guys let me walk free after 30 minutes in your custody. She saved your life Alex!" She takes another step forward and Astra takes one step back.

"Agent Danvers is correct, my dear Kara. I was the leader of the opposing army. I am still very much the enemy. I would be wary if these humans were so quick to trust me. One good deed does not erase my past actions, misguided as they may have been."

"But Aunt Astra,"

"No Kara, this is simply military protocol. It is good to see that even this primitive planet follows that."

"I'll be speaking to Hank about this. I _will_ fix this." She wants to hug her niece in that moment. Her niece has always had a hero's heart.

"Speak to the Martian if you wish, Little One. Until he says otherwise, I will be in my cell. Or a new one at least."

Kara leaves after that, no doubt to talk to the Martian.

"I do have one request, Agent, before you take me back to my cell. I do not wish to wait another day for my designated time slot."

Alex looks back to Astra. "And what is that?"

Her smile is wicked again. "A shower."

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it.

Let me know what else you want to see and I'll try to work it in.


	5. Minute 28,817: The Shower

I could give you excuses like I started a new job, or I had to send my computer in to fix it. I could even tell you that writing these types of scenes is not my thing. I could tell you all of those things and it would be up to you to accept them or not. I however, find no excuse for the delay in uploading and for that I do apologize.

This chapter is short, and I am well aware of that. I hope to do the next one justice.

* * *

 _"_ _I do have one request, Agent, before you take me back to my cell. I do not wish to wait another day for my designated time slot."_

 _Alex looks back to Astra. "And what is that?"_

 _Her smile is wicked again. "A shower."_

* * *

The cuffs have left her relatively weak once again but even without her powers she can still see the effect she has.

"It's the least I can do." The Agent's voice is even enough to fool just about anyone but it is her eyes that give her away.

"Then by all means, Agent Danvers, lead the way. I would rather not spend more time covered in blood from multiple species."

The woman nods and taps her ear.

"Vasquez. I'm escorting one of our guests to the shower.

"Say again?"

"I'm escorting a guest. To the shower."

"So I did hear you right. Well good luck, Alex. We're swamped here trying to clean up. Hurry back we need all hands on deck."

She watches the muscle in her jaw tense. This is what Kara must have meant when she said that Alex was going to turn her molars to dust.

"Agent Danvers? The shower?" She reaches up with her cuffed hands to wipe some grime off of her neck. She does not even want to think what it is.

"Right. You so much as twitch in a way that I don't like, I'll put a tranq dart through your chest."

"And if I twitch in a way in a way you _do_ like?" Her smile is predatory. "What then? "She does not receive an answer in return. She allows herself to be led out of the room.

She ignores the looks, the stares, the nods. Yes, she most definitely ignores the nods.

The showers are understandably empty and Astra's smirk gets bigger. The PSU, Prisoner Shower Unit does not have stalls. It is two poles with three shower heads each. It has a completely open view of the prisoner at all times. Never has Alex cursed safety protocols as much as she does in this moment. Safety overrides privacy, right?

"The cuffs, Agent. I would like both of my hands." The agent shakes her head. Astra has the image of trying to shake cobwebs free or perhaps shaking off inappropriate thoughts.

"Like I said— "

"I do anything you don't like and you'll put a tranquilizing dart in my chest. I understand. Unless you'd like to wash my back?" She is enjoying torturing her captor.

Her smile widens when she hears the groan coming from the other woman. She stands still as Alex, no Agent Danvers, pulls her wrists closer by pulling on the cuffs before unlocking them. She relaxes slightly when the cuffs are removed from her immediate proximity. She faces her captor for two reasons. One, she will not turn her back on an armed hostile, though her mind states that Agent Danvers is not a hostile. And two, no one needs to see her back marred with old scars that rival that of this world's revered subterranean transport system.

Her Brave One. No, _the_ Brave One is standing behind the guard counter next to the door they came in through. She can clearly see the tense muscles in her jaw and now that the K-Cuffs are off she can hear her heart beat. She lets her lips twitch up for a second in an amused smile.

She slowly unzips her suit, mainly because the zipper is stuck with bits of dried Rao only knows what. Finally, the suit is completely off and she worries slightly about the rapid pace of the human heart in the room. She turns the knob and water comes cascading out of the shower head. She is always pleasantly surprised with the amazing water pressure and temperature these showers have. They are so much better than the measly drips of Fort Rozz.

She closes her eyes to let the water wash over her face and also to avoid seeing just what color the water is turning before it goes down the drain. She pushes a button on the side of the pole, lets a dollop of shampoo fall into her hand and works it into her hair. As she turns her back to to the water to rinse out the shampoo she hears the loud click of a heavy metal bar sliding home to lock the steel doors of the PSU. She turns her head to see Agent Danvers standing by the door with a look in her eye which more than likely matches her own. She tilts her head back and lets the water run over her head and through her hair.

Her body is shoved back against the pole the shower-head is attached to and pinned there by the body pressed into hers. The hard plastic clip of the Agent's tactical belt is pressed into her hips and she has to bite down a groan. She barely has time to take in the image of one Alex Danvers soaking wet in tactical gear. She barely has time to take in the way her shirt now looks painted onto porcelain skin and the way defined abs tense with a deep breath before the agent speaks.

"What are you doing to me?" It is angry and desperate and hopeless yet hopeful and Astra does not know how a question could sound like that. She opens her mouth to answer, or rather to say that she does not know but is silenced by lips pressing against hers. It is wild and frantic. It is passionate and forbidden, and Astra cannot get enough.

Her hands run through short brown hair and tug slightly. She uses Alex's gasp as a way to deepen the kiss. She feels hands grip around her hips in a way that would surely leave a bruise if she were anything less than Kryptonian. She relishes in the delightful pressure.

The sounds that this human is making strike like lightning between her thighs. She can feel herself _throbbing_ and she just wants her release. The heady scent of arousal makes her dizzy with want. The contrasting feel of wet cotton against her naked body sets her skin ablaze. She wants nothing more than to level the playing field. So her hands grip the hem of the black shirt and pull upwards.

Water goes everywhere as the pole Astra was pressed against busts. She faintly feels the bent steel pressing into her back. She pulls her lips off of those of the woman she never wants to stop kissing to assess the damage. There is no fixing this. The water level is slowly but surely rising with every moment they stand in shock. Thankfully the PSU is wide enough so it takes time for the water to actually start rising over her toes.

They both hear heavy footsteps running down the hallway. Astra uses her speed to finish her shower and dress her now bearably clean but unfortunately soaking wet suit and boots. Alex barely has time to unlock the door and put the cuffs back on her prisoner before four agents storm in weapons raised and sweeping the room for any other threat than the prisoner held tightly in the grip of their superior.

"Agent Danvers?" It is the nameless agent that accompanied them back to the DEO all of those days ago. The man looks over at the pipe and small geyser that it has become.

"Busted pipe, Mitchell." So Mitchell is the man's name. He seems like a competent man but hopefully he does not notice the tiny waver in the Agent's voice or the pink tint in her cheeks. The man remains silent.

"I'd like to get out of here before this turns into a swimming pool." She takes her earpiece out and shakes the water off of it for emphasis.

"Of course." He radios for one of the maintenance men to hit the emergency shut off for the PSU.

They both ignore the questioning looks and the whispers on their way back to the cell block. They can do nothing about the squeak and squelch of their boots and hope that Kara has not yet realized what has happened. No such luck. The young blonde is standing in front of what is to be Astra's new cell.

"What happened?" Her arms are crossed, her tone is curious, worried, and suspicious all at the same time. Astra's heart wishes for the concern to be directed at her but something in the back of her mind tells her that the concern is only for Alex. She tells that little voice to go to hell.

"Busted pipe in the showers, Kara." Astra remains silent.

"You broke a water pipe Aunt Astra?" the question comes out more surprised than it does accusatory.

"Yes, well, I slipped in the shower and when I went to brace myself on the pipe I fell right through it. It was really unbecoming and ungraceful. So if you would not mind I would like to never speak of this again." Its convincing enough that the blush that rises in her cheeks and runs down to her chest is mistaken for embarrassment rather than something else. Her niece even giggles at her misfortune. Alex snorts at the poorly made lie and that fact the Kara bought it.

Now that Kara has been assured that nothing nefarious in nature went down in the showers, she heads back to work. The light blush in her cheeks hint that "work" may mean something else. Astra and Alex do not mention it, since they have no room to talk.

Once Astra is back in her cell but not yet behind the glass, she turns back to face the Agent. She is close enough that she can see brown eyes turn black.

"Cameras, Astra." She nods and steps back. She wants to finish what they started in the shower. She wants to feel those lips upon her own once again. She wants to see that body devoid of clothing, writhing under her and flushed a most enticing shade of pink. She wants to see if she can actually taste the vanilla that invades her senses anytime Alex is near. She wants all of that and much, much more, but she knows this is not the time or the place.

She goes to bed frustrated and uncomfortable. Not only is her suit wet it is now _sticky_. She moves around on her bed, a stone slab really, and tries to relieve some of the tension in her body. She will not give the peons in charge of watching the cameras the satisfaction of seeing her come undone. So she moves around, the regular person would think she were having a nightmare. At this point she would prefer it.

Every time she closes her eyes she can feel those soft lips on hers, long fingers digging into her skin. She can hear the soft moans and gasps and she hates it. There is nothing she can do about it. She does not sleep the rest of the night. And when Sterling comes back in the room the next morning, he doesn't take any longer than absolutely necessary to give her her breakfast. The look on her face says it all.

Alex does not visit. Minutes turn to hours, hours turn to days, days turn to a week. Then Kara comes in with a look that she knows intimately.

"She's missing, Aunt Astra. We can't find her."

* * *

Let me know what you think. Perhaps what you may think is going to happen.


	6. Minute: 38,897: The Rescue

Sorry that I have been a shit ticket with the updates. I've been super busy. (Pun probably intended)

This is my last update for a very long time.

I recently joined the US Army and I ship off to basic soon. All of my training means no updates for 41 weeks. So I guess this can tide you over until then, Maybe. I hope.

Either way, I hope you guys enjoy.

* * *

 **Minute: 38,897: The Rescue**

"She's what?" She's sure she has heard incorrectly and her niece did not just state that Alex was…

"Mis—sing" Her heart sinks to her feet when she hears the break in her Little One's voice.

"Kara." "Kara." Her voice is soft and soothing and it takes her back to a place when Krypton still existed and Kara's biggest problem was whether or not the son of one of her father's friends liked her back.

She finally gets to look into blue eyes. "Alex, Alex is brave and strong and smart. She can take care of herself until we find her."

"We?"

"Do you really believe that I wouldn't help you, Little One?"

Her heart slowly makes its way back up from her feet when she sees Kara crack a small smile.

"Just get me out of here Kara. Let me help you." Her niece nods and opens the door. Not a moment later Astra has her arms wrapped tightly around the woman she's always considered her daughter.

"Why would you help, Aunt Astra?" Astra simply states, "She's your sister, Kara."

"So what does that make you and her?" Astra hesitates. She lifts her head from where it was resting on Kara's shoulder.

"I don't know, Kara. I don't know." It's the first time she has acknowledged to someone other than herself that there may be something more to her relationship with Alex. What it is, she still is not sure, but she knows something is there. How could there not be? They are bound together by their love and fierce protection of the Last Daughter of the House of El.

Kara seems to accept that answer or rather file it away for another time.

"Come on, Little One. We have a stubborn human to find." Astra smiles when Kara snorts.

They make their way to the control room. Everyone freezes when they see the General standing before them unrestrained. Hank is the first one to approach them and guide them off to the side.

"What do you think you're doing, Supergirl? You can't just release a prisoner because you want to." His voice is hushed but sharp. Kara doesn't flinch.

"She can help, Hank." Her voice is strong and confident and so sure that Astra wants to jump for joy. The Martian turns his gaze to the General.

"You put one toe out of line, and you will not live to regret it for more than a few seconds. If I even _think_ that you are leading us astray— "

"I understand, Martian. I have no intention of causing harm to anyone other than the being that thought it was a good idea to kidnap Kara's sister. That alone makes them my enemy." Her eyes are fire, her voice is ice, and her heart, well, it's set on murder.

Hank nods.

They stand watching the screens. They scroll through the prisoners of Fort Rozz that escaped from the battle.

"There! That one. He is the one that is most likely to pull this off." The scrolling comes to a stop on one file.

"Who is he?"

"He was one of my followers. He was part of Krypton's Navy and a damn good sailor. No one could navigate a vessel through the stars like he could. He had more honor than most." She gets this faraway look on her face. "But, you see, Director Henshaw, Fort Rozz changes a person. It is a living hell. It is a fate that I would not wish upon even my greatest of enemies. He is, well, different now. He is definitely behind this."

"Aunt Astra?" She shakes her head clear of the memories.

"I imagine he will want a trade, me for your Agent."

"Then why has there been no contact?" It is a valid question.

"But there has been. The kidnapping itself. That was the first move. The ball is in our court now, as you _humans_ say." She looks pointedly at Hank. A small smirk finds its way onto her face.

"What do we do, Aunt Astra? It's not like we know where they are hiding."

"But we can find out. We just have to listen."

"I've tried. I can't hear her heartbeat or her voice."

"Exactly, Little One. What is the one thing that weakens our hearing and sight?"

"Lead! Of course." She smacks herself on the forehead.

"Vasquez—" The small woman is already typing away at the computer.

"There's a structure that seems to be made entirely of lead just off the— "

Both Kryptonians are gone by the time Vasquez finishes her sentence.

Kara swerves around her aunt who has come to a full stop mid-air.

"Do you hear that, Little One?" _Lub, dub. Lub, dub._ Alex.

Two booms echo across the city as they take off toward the sound. The beach, how nice…Seriously what is everyone's fixation with being around sand? She is still finding grains of sand from just walking through the desert _weeks_ ago.

They both land leaving craters in the sand. Alex is on her knees bound by rope and gagged with, well, Astra doesn't really want to know. All she knows is that the woman is not moving and her head is lolled forward. Kara doesn't scan Alex for more than a second before she moves.

"Gener—" The man does not get to finish his statement before he finds himself pressed up against the lead wall of the building and a firm grip closing around his neck. He looks over the cape clad shoulder to shoot a pleading look toward his commander. She is busy tending to the human.

" _Traitor!"_ the word falls from his mouth like poison.

"You took my sister." She punches him in his side. She can feel the bones cracking under her fist.

"You hurt her." She punches him in his mouth. His head bounces off of the wall. He stops moving.

"You saw what I did to your fellow soldiers at the Battle and yet you did this." Her eyes turn red. Her face heats up.

"Kara!"

Astra does not warn her in time. A small squad of soldiers fly out of the structure and surround them. Kara moves back toward her sister and aunt.

"Kara, get her out of here." Astra does not take her eyes off of the soldiers.

"I'm not leaving you here. You won't survive this alone" Kara raises her fists. The squad descends.

They fight and fight. Seconds turn into minutes. 3 of the six have fallen. Whether they are dead or not, neither Kara nor Astra know, and at the moment, they do not care.

"Kara, Go!" Astra takes another blow to the face before taking another one out. Scratch 4. "She's more important, Kara. Get her out of here!"

Kara hesitates for a moment before scooping Alex up and flying away. She flies as fast as she dares with such precious cargo in her hands.

The moment she is sure Alex is safe in the doctor's hands she is back out the door. She pushes herself faster than ever before. Only 2 minutes have passed since she has left her Aunt's side. A lot has happened in those 120 seconds.

Her aunt is lying on the sand with a small black handle sticking out of her chest. Kara can just make out the sickeningly green tint of the blade.

There is only one soldier left. He is no match for her. She is not Kara Danvers in this moment. She is not even Supergirl. She is Kara Zor-El and she is fury personified. She is a blur of blue and red as she moves. The soldier is blind-sided. She dives into his side with all of her force. Alex would be pound of the hit.

They both fall to the ground. They grapple and roll in the sand until Kara comes out on top. She punches and punches. Steel hits steel. She screams and hits. Rage fuels her and she continues her assault. Finally, he stops moving. He stops breathing. He stops living.

She makes her way back to her Aunt.

"No, no, no." She grabs the small knife. With a sharp tug she pulls the knife out and tosses it toward the opening of the lead structure. Kara winces at the scream.

"Come on, Aunt Astra. Don't leave me."

"K-Kara." Astra coughs.

Kara takes off heavenward with her aunt. "Come on. Hang in there." She breaks through the clouds. The sun is beating down them.

Astra coughs again.

"A-Alex, is she—" another cough.

"She's fine, Aunt Astra. You know her, she can survive anything."

"Right." It is the last word Astra says before her world goes black…again.

 _"_ _Astra."_

 _"_ _Non? What are you doing here?"_

 _He looks a lot younger. He looks like the man she married. She smiles for a moment. She looks around._

 _"_ _This cannot be."_

 _"_ _I assure you, Astra, that this is happening. You are standing at a crossroads. I am here to either guide you into Rao's light or back to the world of the living."_

 _"_ _Kara is alive and well. She has family that will care for her. She does not need me. She is already grown into a fine woman. I am ready." She takes a step forward. He places a hand on her chest to stop her progress._

 _"_ _Are you sure?" He looks deeply into her eyes._

 _"_ _I—I—Yes. I can be with you again. Just like we were before…everything."_

 _"_ _Are you trying to convince me or yourself, my love?"_

 _She looks down at her feet. She only looks back up when he takes her chin in his hand and lifts her head to look in her eyes._

 _"_ _You have found love again."_

 _"_ _Alexandra." The name falls from her lips like a whisper, like a prayer, like salvation._

 _"_ _You love her?" His eyes are sad._

 _"_ _I do not know, Non. What I feel for her is something I cannot explain. I do not know if it is love. It is not the same as the love I had for you."_

 _"_ _Then find out, my dear. You almost died to protect her. She means something to you." She turns her head toward the hand that rose up to catch a tear on her cheek._

 _"_ _I did love you, Non. A part of me always will. I hope you know that."_

 _"_ _I do. And I know that somewhere along the line I changed."_

 _"_ _So did I."_

 _"_ _Go, Astra. Live the life we were meant to, even if it is with a human." She laughs or sobs, she's not quite sure. She turns her back to him and starts walking away. Their grasp on each other's hands loosens and finally falls apart._

 _"_ _Love again, Astra" are the last words she hears fall from his lips._

 **Minute 39,917**

Astra wakes to the sound of soft whimpering and a head of golden curls on the bed next to her. She runs her hands through Kara's hair. Her movements are stiff and slow but the girl calms down. The wrinkle in her brow disappears and she looks peaceful.

Astra lets the warmth of the artificial sun light and steady breath of her niece lull her back to sleep. And if she adds the sound of a beating heart to the mix, well, she sleeps peacefully. She dares to dream of a life where she can live without the fear of attack. She dreams of a life that does not have iron bars or glass cages. She dreams of chestnut hair and mocha eyes. She dreams of vanilla and of gunpowder.

The next time Astra wakes up she is alone in the room. The lamps are still on and she revels in the warmth. She closes her eyes and opens her ears. She makes out boots hitting cement, and fingers clacking on keys. She makes out pens scratching on paper and hushed voices. She recognizes one but not the other, although the distortion of hearing the other voice over a phone would make it almost impossible to recognize anyway.

"I'll be home soon."

" _Yours or mine?"_

"Yours. I really need to hold you. I almost lost both of them, Cat. I—I"

" _I know, sweetheart. Take your time. I'll be here waiting for you with ice cream, pot stickers, a hot bath and a comfy bed."_

"I—Thank you, Cat. I should go. Doc said Alex would be waking up soon."

 _"_ _Anything for you, Kara. Go. Be with your family. You know where to find me."_

Astra smiles softly. Cat Grant may not be getting the shovel talk from after all. Well, she'll get the talk, Astra just won't hang her from the tallest building to do it. She is glad her Little One has someone like Cat Grant. Remembering Kara's words, her turn her hearing toward, well she doesn't really know where but she finds the sound anyway.

The steady lub, dub of Alex heartbeat is reassuring but in Astra's mind, it's not enough. She moves to sit up and almost immediately Kara is at her side. Her hair moves with the amount of breeze Kara carried in with her speed.

"Aunt Astra!"

The amount of joy and happiness in Kara's voice is almost enough to cure Astra of any pain. She smiles back.

"Little One." She holds out her arms and Kara tentatively steps into them. Astra squeezes with all the force that she can without her chest being in searing pain. Her smile falters when she realizes that her grip isn't as strong as she'd like. Kara melts into the embrace regardless.

"Thank you, Kara. For saving me." That's when the tears start and Kara shakes like a leaf in a storm. Astra runs her hands through golden hair again and hums a melody from lifetimes ago. Eventually, Kara calms down enough for Astra to lift her head and wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"I am alive and well, Kara. A little weak, but I am still here." Kara just nods.

"Come, Little One. Let us check on our stubborn human." Astra sighs internally at the slip, but Kara either misses it or ignores it. She is grateful, for she does not yet have the words to explain why she thinks Alex, in some way or another, belongs to her.

They slowly make their way to the other side of the medical wing. While Astra's legs work just fine, her chest is having trouble expanding enough to let her breathe properly. Kara leaves her hand hovering just inches from her Aunt's back, knowing full well that Astra does not want to seem weak in the presence of others. They would understand, of course. After all, she is recovering from a knife to the heart.

They make it just in time to see Alex open her eyes. Astra thinks that she's never been more glad to see those beautiful brown eyes.

Kara is the first to make it to Alex's side, quickly gabbing her hand and sitting down in the stool by the bed. Kara is talking a mile a minute making sure that Alex is as "fine" as she claims she is. Both Kara and Astra soon find out that the bruises on her torso tell a different story.

"What happened, Lex? It's not like you to get careless like that." Astra notices the skip of a heartbeat.

"I'm running in the park and next thing I know I'm in some box by the beach being questioned on the whereabouts and status of the _General._ " Astra stiffens. Such venom, and hatred in one word.

So this, too, was her fault. The miniscule movement is enough to alert Alex to her presence and for Kara to remember that she did not go to see Alex alone. Astra turns on her heel and starts walking away.

"Astra, wait." Alex goes to move but Kara's hand is enough to still her movements.

"Aunt Astra." She shrugs off Kara's hand.

"Not now, Little One. Not now." She continues her trek, because it does feel like a miles long trek, back to the room with the lamps. She leaves a torn Kara standing in the hallway. She lays back on the bed and shuts her eyes. She tries to focus on any other sound than _that._ Anything besides _that_ heartbeat. She tries to focus on some nameless agent clacking away on the computer, or some agent in the firing range. She tries to focus on anything else but her traitorous heart and traitorous mind still seek out Alex. Then she picks out Kara's voice and for the life of her she can't shut it out. Then Alex's joins hers.

"Alex?" Is tentative and soft, as if she were approaching a scared animal. Astra can hear the slight rustle of the sheets, telling her Alex has turned her head. She clamps her hands over her ears and screws her eyes shut. The voices come anyway.

"Do you care about her, Lex?"

"She's your aunt, Kara. 'Course I care." She can hear Kara's jaw clicking shut.

"Try again."

"What?"

"That answer isn't going to fly with me. She gave the same answer when I asked why she wanted to help. So try again. Do you care about her?"

"Yes." It's said in a whisper and only two people hear it.

"Why?"

"I just do, Kara." Astra can hear the frantic beating of her heart and her own starts to match the pace.

"Alex."

"Drop it, Kara, please."

Yes, Kara drop it. Astra does not want to hear anymore. She has heard more than enough. So please, Kara, for the love of Rao, stop prodding. No dice.

"Al—"

"Because she's more than just a prisoner. To me she never really was. Not here anyway. Okay, Kara?! She has always been more than just the enemy, and I don't know why! Maybe because I spent years building an AI that looks so much like yet is so different."

Astra can't breathe.

"Maybe it's because I've read her file so many times that I can recite it my sleep. And I know that reading about her and actually talking to her are two separate things. Maybe I care because to me she is more than her rank and no one sees that."

Astra gasps.

"Maybe I care because she and I share the most important thing in this world and any other; you. And I know that if I were to lose you, I would never be the same. I wouldn't be able to live in a world where all I feel is pain, because you aren't here. She's been through that hell before and I will make damn sure that she will never experience that, because, damn it, Kara, she deserves a hell of a lot better. She deserves a hell of a lot better than me, but here we are."

Astra tries and tries to stop what's coming next, but the tears come anyway. She does not know if they are sad, angry, hopeful, or overwhelmed tears. All she knows is she hates herself for crying regardless.

"I care because even though she's done wrong in some pretty bad ways, her heart is starting to fix itself, and she deserves to see that transformation through." Everything is quiet. She can no longer hear Alex or Kara or anything. For a few moments, Astra knows bliss. Then it ends.

"So if you're done interrogating me about this, I need to rest." There's a slight hitch in her voice and it softens. "but if you could, uh, make sure she's ok. She's probably heard everything and is trying to escape rather than to face her feelings."

Astra lays still on her bed. She will not give Alex the satisfaction of being right, no matter how badly she wants to run. She lays there, still and barely breathing waiting for the inevitable; Kara's visit.

* * *

Feel free to drown me in messages if you want. I am going to need a lot of inspiration once I finish training. Tell me what you want to see or what you think will happen. I once had a reader send me a rough draft of a chapter. :)

I greatly appreciate all of you. Every single reader. You guys make my writing possible.

I love you guys.

-J. Robin-

P.S. I should have access to my email in October so at least be able to get back to some of y'all.


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